Comets earn first home win

UTICA – The Utica Comets cashed in at home for the first time this season.

For the second time in four days, the Comets needed a shootout Saturday to decide a winner against the Rochester Americans, though.

In the shootout, Nikolay Goldobin scored the lone goal and Richard Bachman stopped all three Amerks shooters to help the Comets earn a 3-2 victory Saturday before an announced capacity crowd of 3,917 at Adirondack Bank Center at Utica Memorial Auditorium.

“It is always huge to get wins at home,” Bachman said. “You need to get wins at home to be a playoff team. … It is good get that established right away.”

After a back-and-forth overtime, Goldobin’s wrister from the slot low past Adam Wilcox helped end it. It was part of a big game for Goldobin, who scored his team-best fifth goal of the season in regulation and Anton Rodin also got his first for the Comets (5-4-0-1 overall, 11 points), who were the last AHL team without a win at home this season.

“It depends on the goalie,” the skilled Goldobin said of his shootout decision. “(I saw) low blocker side, so I shot it there.”

Bachman was solid, totaling 22 saves for his first win of the season after two tough losses and helped the Comets improve to 2-2-0-1 in the last five games.

“I thought (Bachman) played really well,” Comets coach Trent Cull said. “I’m really happy for him. Some of the games that he’s played, we haven’t played that well in front of him. … He came up with some big saves, too.”

Rochester (6-4-0-1, 13 points), which overcame a 2-0 deficit in the third period, has had three straight games go to a shootout. The Amerks were coming off a 7-6 win in which they scored six goals in the second period Saturday against Hershey.

The teams played a scoreless first period, though the Amerks held the Comets without a shot for nearly nine minutes. The team is working on its starts at home, Cull said.

Bachman made a huge stop less than two minutes in, when the Amerks skated in on a 2-on-1 and denied a backdoor chance on the right side.

The Comets had their best chances toward the end of the period after Rochester was whistled for four penalties in almost four minutes. That advantage included a long 5-on-3, but Comets’ chances by Guillaume Brisebois, Reid Boucher and Goldobin couldn’t find their way in.

“Obviously, you want to score in those situations, but we’re trying not to get frustrated when things are happening,” Cull said.

However, the middle frame was dominated by the Comets, who put up a season-most 20 shots.

Bachman turned in another big stop about six minutes in, when the Amerks had a 3-on-1 rush and he made a glove save on a shot from the slot.

Much of the Comets’ pressure came later. Rodin made it 1-0 when he skated in the Rochester zone and fired from the left circle, beating Wilcox (35 saves) as Zack MacEwen came crashing to the net.

Utica added to the lead 1:24 later when they struck on the man advantage. On the play, Michael Chaput tossed the puck into the zone and Wilcox came out to play it. However, the puck took a favorable bounce off the boards to the crease and a streaking Goldobin was there to knock it in with 5:10 left. That goal broke an 0-for-16 streak on the power-play.

“I think it was karma,” said Goldobin, who has 12 points this season. “We got a nice bounce.”

The Amerks struck twice with goals 2:21 apart to tie it in early the third. With the team’s playing 4-on-4, Sahir Gill got Rochester on the board when redirected in an odd-angle pass from Brendan Guhle with 17:22 remaining. Then, 19 seconds into a power play, Guhle tied it, scoring from the right circle with 15:01 left.

“If you’re going to win a lot of hockey games, you have to be able to brush it off and keep going,” Bachman said. “That was a great response by our D and all our guys to keep pushing.”

Bachman had two big stops soon after to deny the Amerks and help send the game to overtime.

Notes: Thatcher Demko was recalled by the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday. The move was precautionary with Vancouver goaltender Anders Nilsson’s fiancé expecting a baby soon. In a separate move, the Comets recalled goaltender Michael Garteig from Kalamazoo. He backed up Bachman on Saturday. … Goldobin has points in eight of 10 games this season. He's tied for 9th in points in the AHL. ... Jordan Subban (“day off,” per Cull), Yan-Pavel Laplante, Cam Darcy (injury, week-to-week), Brendan Woods (injury, day-to-day), Wacey Hamilton and Michael Carcone (illness) were scratched from the lineup Saturday.